Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 1

TROUBLE SHOOTING AND PARTS REPLACEMENT MANUAL

FOR THE REMOTE CONTROLLED SEARCH LIGHT, RCL-100

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 2

INDEX

Troubleshooting tools needed 3

Wiring guide 3

Pointpad / Master controller compatibility 5

12V / 24V 5

Searchlight and Wiring Diagram 6

Breakdown procedure 7, 8

Slip ring and Planet gear assembly 9

Rotation motor assembly 10

Troubleshooting the light 12 – 13

Repair / Refurbishment of searchlights 14

Recommended maintenance. 15

Parts List 16

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 3

Troubleshooting tools needed. Ohm Meter Rubbing Alcohol Wire Brush

Clean Rags #2 Phillips Screwdriver Length of wires (2) with crocodile clips on each end to connect to battery. 12V Battery or Power Supply (3.5Amp capability)

Wiring Guide.

YELLOW Lamp power

GREEN Lamp power

RED Elevation motor

WHITE Elevation motor

BLACK Rotation motor

BROWN Rotation motor

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 4

System Wiring Schematic.

Master

RCL-100

Point Pad

Spotlight

Yellow Lamp Power

Green Lamp Ground

Red Spot Up

White Spot Down

Brown Spot Left

Black Spot Right

Other RCL-100 Point Pads

75 ohm TV Coaxial Cable

75 ohm TV Coaxial Cable

“T” Connector or Optional

75 Ohm Splitter for Multiple

RCL-100 Point Pads

Ground

Blue Orange

Note: Wiring must be in accordance with this diagram. Improper wiring will damage components.

12 VDC or

24 VDC

Master Controller

in-line 15 amp fuse

Power Source Fuse

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 5

Compatibility of POINTPAD URP with MASTER CONTROLLER URC

There are 3 generations of control systems for the RCL 100 searchlight.

Model numbers 100, 101 and 102. If there is a ‘yes’ behind the combination, they can be

connected together and will function properly, if the individual modules are in working

condition.

URP 100 - URC 100/101 - yes

URP 101 - URC 100/ 101 - yes

URP 102 - URC 101 - yes

URC 102 - URP 101 - yes

URP 100 - URC 102 - no

URP 102 - URC 100 - no

12V / 24V Lights.

The difference between a 12V light and a 24V light is ONLY the rating of the bulb. If one wants

to convert the light from one voltage to another, the bulbs need to be replaced.

12V Part Number 6001

24V Part Number 6003

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 6

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 7

To remove the head from the base, loosen the 4 screws from the collar and carefully lift the

head off the base.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 8

To remove the complete Front Frame assembly from the head of the light, remove the front

frame and glass assembly. Loosen the two lock nuts from the hex studs and turn out the two

studs sufficiently to slide the assembly out.

Pull the Front Frame assembly out of the searchlight.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 9

Complete Reflector/elevation motor assembly.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 10

Typical view of a good and clean slip ring that transfers the voltage from the copper tracks to

the contacts mounted in the head of the light.

RED/WHITE UP AND DOWN

GREEN/YELLOW RIGHT AND LEFT

View of the two plastic gears, driven by the Rotation motor, and the contact assembly that

transfer the voltage from the slip ring to the bulbs and elevation motor.

3 - RED

1 - WHITE 2 - GREEN

4 - YELLOW

Planet Gear

Contact assembly

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 11

Rotation motor. It is actually an assembly that consists of a motor and a gearbox with

spindle gear.

GEARBOX

MOTOR

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 12

TROUBLESHOOTING

Testing the

system with

all

connected.

Use a volt/ohm meter set to DC Voltage. Measure from ground to each color wire,

of the MCU (Master Controller) going out to the light. The voltage should read

between 8 to 10 Volts DC, when the point pad is activated. If, for example, you

want to check the elevation, measure on the RED and WHITE when the Point pad

is pressed to ‘down’. There should be 8-10 V on one of these wires.

Motion is OK,

but no light

Disconnect the YELLOW and GREEN wires (in the 6-wire wiring harness leading

out of the Master Controller) and connect the 12V battery test wires to the yellow

and green wires LEADING TO THE LIGHT. If the lamps do not light up, check

the continuity of the yellow and green wires and any splices or terminal

connections through the harness to the searchlight. If the continuity tests OK, the

bulbs must be checked. Do the following:

Please do not try to test the bulbs with a tester/ohm meter as you would a normal

incandescent house bulb. Remove (without touching the bulb with your hand) the

bulb from the socket and connect the leads to a 6V battery to test them. If the

bulbs test good, check for corrosion on the brush assembly mounted at the bottom

of the housing, or on the slip ring assembly mounted in the base.

If there is corrosion on either the brush or slip ring assemblies, gently clean it off

with a fine wire brush or sanding paper and wipe clean with rubbing alcohol. If

the slip ring assembly is pitted, it will need to be replaced.

If the brush and slip ring are OK, and the lamps light up when connected to the

battery, the MCU (Master control unit) needs to be replaced.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 13

No up and

down,

everything

else is OK

Disconnect the RED and WHITE wires (in the 6-wire wiring harness leading out of

the Master Controller) and connect the 12V battery test wires to the red and

white wires LEADING TO THE LIGHT. The light should move either up or down.

If you change the POLARITY it should move the other way. If this happens without

a problem, the MCU (Master control unit) is faulty and needs to be replaced. If

not, do the following:

Remove the four screws underneath the head of the light, to loosen the protection

cover. Gently lift the head from the base in order to view the brush and slip ring

assembly. If any corrosion is evident, gently clean the brush and slip ring

assemblies with a fine wire brush, taking care to wipe clean with a rag and

rubbing alcohol. If pitting has occurred on the slip ring, or if the brush assembly

is damaged, the unit must be sent in for repair. The service agent or owner can

replace the parts by ordering new ones. If these parts look OK, connect the leads

from the battery to both of the small pins on the brush assembly. The elevation

motor should turn. If you reverse the wires the motor should turn in the opposite

direction. If the motor does not turn with this test, then the elevation motor needs

to be replaced.

No left and

right,

everything

else is OK

Disconnect the BLACK and BROWN wires (in the 6-wire wiring harness leading

out of the Master Controller) and connect the 12V battery test wires to the black

and brown wires LEADING TO THE LIGHT. The light should move either left or

right. If you change the POLARITY it should move the other way. If this happens

without a problem, the MCU (Master control unit) is faulty and needs to be

replaced.

If not, do the following:

Remove the four screws underneath the head of the light, to loosen the protection

cover. Gently lift the head from the base in order to view the two plastic gears by

turning the head upside down to see them. If they are intact, the ROTATION

motor is faulty. Replace this motor.

If the planet gears are stripped, order new and install.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 14

Lights work

but no

rotation or

elevation

and lights

will not shut

off

First, disconnect the coaxial cable from the MCU and Point pad. With an ohm

meter set to R x 1, check continuity of the coaxial cable by placing 1 probe to the

connector shielding and the other to the center conductor. If the cable is good,

you will get NO meter movement at all. If the cable is bad, you will get a full scale

reading on any meter scale. If you get a full scale reading, replace the coaxial

cable connectors. If you get no reading, then the cable is OK. Turn off the circuit

breaker at the power source, wait 10 seconds and then turn the circuit back on.

This should reset the MCU. Re-check the functions and they should be cleared. If

you still experience the same problems, then the MCU will need to be replaced.

Light flickers

on and off as

it rotates.

Remove four screws from the protection cover (underside of head). Lift the head

from the base and check the slip ring and brush assembly for corrosion. If

corrosion is evident, clean with a wire brush. If either the brush or slip ring

assembly is corroded or pitted beyond repair, they will need to be replaced.

Power to

MCU, but no

light on RCP

and no

functions of

light.

Check the coaxial cable with an ohm meter by placing the probes on each end of

the center conductor on the coaxial cable. If there is no meter movement, replace

or repair the coaxial cable. If it registers a full meter reading, then the coax cable

is ok and it is recommended that the point pad and MCU be sent in for testing and

possible replacement.

Extending

the coaxial

cable

Please be sure to use RG 59 coaxial cable, if there is a need to extend the coax

between the Point pad and the Master Controller or if the existing cable is

damaged and needs to be replaced.

Maximum

cable length

between the

Master

controller

and the RCL

100 light.

WIRE SIZE 12V SYSTEM 24V SYSTEM

# 8 AWG 25 FEET 100 FEET

#10 AWG 15 FEET 60 FEET

# 12 AWG 10 FEET 40 FEET

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 15

Need to send

the light to

ACR for

repair?

Please send the light to: Technical Service, ACR Electronics Inc. 5757 Ravenswood road Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33312 Please add a memo with the sender/company name, full return address and contact number of a person that can OK a quote on the service/repair of the above.

Need to send

the light to

ACR for

complete

refurbish-

ment?

Please send the light to: Technical Service, ACR Electronics Inc. 5757 Ravenswood road Fort Lauderdale, Fl 33312 Please add a memo with what needs to be done (refurbishment), sender/company name, full return address and contact number of a person that can OK a quote on the complete refurbishment of the light.

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 16

Recommended Maintenance As with any marine product, proper care and regular maintenance is highly recommended. In order to help prevent premature failure of your ACR searchlight the following steps are recommended: The best preventative maintenance one can do is to ensure that the best possible care is taken when installing the light. The biggest problem on these lights is water intrusion from the way it is mounted, if not done well. During the lifetime of the light, a regular, very close inspection must be made of the paint around the base of the unit. ANY sign of lifting, flaking or 'bubbling' of the paint around the base is a sign of water intrusion. Any sign of humidity on the inside of the glass lens of the light is trouble. The best time to inspect the light is early in the morning. During the day the light is heated by the sun, all air is pushed out, at night the humid air is pulled in and the moisture builds up. • Always try to keep the light surface clean. Build up of salt, dirt or paint cause corrosion. • Periodically (recommend monthly) rotate and elevate your light to help extend operational life

of the motors. The URC-102 Master Controller has a built in XRCiZ feature. When this feature is enabled, the Master Controller will automatically rotate and elevate the searchlight once a month.

• Normal temperature fluctuations can cause condensation (condensation is any moisture on

inside of glass) to form inside body of the light. If condensation is observed, remove the front frame and allow unit to dry.

• Whenever disassembling the searchlight, use anti-seize compound (such as Tef-gel™) on

bolts and hardware. Rejuvenate gaskets with silicon grease and replace worn or missing phenolic and/or nylon shoulder washers.

• Forceful Manual turning of the light is discouraged due to the possibility of damage to internal

components. • Silicon grease can be used to rejuvenate all gasket material. • Replace worn or missing phenolic and/or nylon shoulder washers. • If the base of the light is removed for any reason, be sure to re-install using nylon shoulder

washers in the bolt holes to help prevent the natural reaction of dissimilar metals (aluminum & stainless steel).

Y1-03-0266 Rev. A Page | 17

Parts list

6001 BULB 12V

6003 BULB 24V

HRMK 1201 WINDOW GASKET

HRMK 1204 BASE GASKET

HRMK 1300 FRONT GLASS

HRMK 1301 REFLECTOR

HRMK 1304 LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY

HRMK 1502 ELEVATION MOTOR HOLDER

HRMK 1503 PLANET GEAR

HRMK 1504 SLIP RING

HRMK 2100 HOUSING

HRMK 2101 FRONT FRAME

HRMK 2102 PROTECTION COVER

HRMK 2103 U TYPE BASE

HRMK 2200 FRONT FRAME GASKET

HRMK 2202 O-RING, SMALL

HRMK 2203 O-RING, LARGE

HRMK 2300 BRUSH ASSEMBLY

HRMK 2500 REFLECTOR HOLDER

HRMK 2501 SOCKET HOLDER

HRMK 4100 FRONT FRAME ASSEMBLY

HRMK 4200 ELEVATION MOTOR

HRMK 4300 ROTATION MOTOR

9283.3 COMPLETE MASTER CONTROLLER, POINT PAD AND COAXIAL CABLE SET

1927.3 MASTER CONTROLLER

1928.3 POINT PAD